Graduate Programs

The College and Graduate School of Education, Health, and Human Services offers a full range of graduate programs resulting in the Doctor of Audiology, Doctor of Philosophy, Educational Specialist, Master of Education, Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Teaching and Master of Science degrees.

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree is available in a wide variety of program areas. Many of the programs lead to licensure through the Ohio Department of Education. The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree may include a thesis requirement. This option is favored by students who are seeking an opportunity to become involved in empirical or library-based research during their master’s studies. The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree is designed to prepare school teachers. It is a selective, full-time program serving individuals who have never held a teaching license. There are two Master of Science (M.S.) degrees available: M.S. in Nutrition and M.S. in Exercise Physiology.

The Educational Specialist degree is available in the areas of counseling, curriculum and instruction, educational administration, rehabilitation counseling, school psychology, special education and career-technical teacher education.

The Doctor of Audiology degree prepares students for clinical work in the field of audiology.

The Doctor of Philosophy degree is available in audiology; counseling and human development services; cultural foundations; curriculum and instruction; educational administration (K-12 school leadership and higher education administration); educational psychology; evaluation and measurement; health education and promotion; exercise physiology; school psychology; special education; and speech pathology.

Courses and workshops are also made available to professional educators who are not seeking advanced degrees and to students of the other graduate schools of Kent State University.

The College of Education, Health, and Human Services is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education for the preparation of early childhood teachers, middle childhood teachers, adolescence to young adult teachers, intervention specialist teachers, vocational teachers and school service personnel at the baccalaureate, master’s, educational specialist and doctoral levels. Accreditation is also provided by the Accreditation Commission for Programs on Hospitality Administration (ACPHA), the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education of the American Dietetic Association, American Psychological Association, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Commission on Rehabilitation Education, the Council on Accreditation for Counseling and Related Educational Programs, the National Council on Education for the Deaf and the Ohio Department of Education. In addition, certification is provided by the National Council on Family Relations that enables students to become certified Family Life Educators (CFLE).

Persons seeking information on graduate non-degree status or graduate licensure programs should consult the Office of Graduate Student Services at the location listed above. The Office of Graduate Student Services welcomes prospective students who seek guidance in identifying an appropriate program area or who have general questions regarding the College of Education, Health, and Human Services. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Information and the online admission application can also be obtained from the Web site at http://www.kent.edu/ehhs/ogs/index.cfm

Program Defined Requirements

Program areas are guided by the standards of their professional association(s) and/or accrediting body/bodies in setting their degree Program Requirements. Students are required to follow the Program Requirements defined by their respective program areas. Substitutions and waivers of program requirements are initiated by the student in consultation with their faculty advisors and must be approved by the advisor.

Transfer and Non-Degree Credit

The College of Education, Health and Human Services will allow a total of 12 semester hours of graduate credit to be transferred into a master’s program. These hours can be transferred from another institution, taken while admitted as a temporary, guest, workshop or special nondegree student, or a combination of the previous. In no case, however, can more than 12 hours be used. Students cannot use more than four (4) hours of workshop credit toward a degree program (if the workshops are transferred into Kent State, they must be a grade of B=3.0 or better). Also, coursework cannot be more than 6 years old for a master’s program at the time of graduation. Student must have been admitted as a graduate student at the time the course was taken in order t transfer credit.

Student Teaching

For student teaching and any culminating internship in teacher education that requires candidates to be placed within a school or agency (“school/agency”) setting, the college requires students to complete these background checks:

Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification (BCII)

Federal Bureau of Investigation and Identification (FBI)

The results should be submitted to authorized personnel at their assigned “school/agency” before the first day of the semester in which the student teaching/internship will take place. The authorized “school/agency” personnel determines whether a candidate may participate in fieldwork in that setting.

The BCII and FBI background checks are valid for one year and are mandatory for licensure application. Electronic fingerprinting is available for BCII and FBI in 221 White Hall and should be completed at least two months prior to student teaching/culminating internship. Candidates are responsible for fees incurred for this requirement. For more information on this policy, contact the Director of Clinical Field Experience, 304 White Hall.

Visit the Ohio Department of Education Web site at http://ode.state.oh.us for more information about background check requirements for Ohio educators.

For specific information about the results of the background check, contact the Office of Professional Conduct at the Ohio Department of Education.

Licensure, Endorsements and Validations

PRAXIS IICandidates for licensure in Ohio will need to satisfactorily complete the appropriate portion(s) of Praxis II. This applies to persons seeking initial teaching, pupil personnel and administrative licenses, as well as anyone adding an endorsement or validation to an existing certificate/license, required. Specific licensure tests are being phased in and may not yet be available. Please contact the Vaccca Office of Student Services, 330-672-2862, for additional information. Individuals applying for initial licensure will also be required to complete a fingerprint check with the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCII). Anyone who has not lived continuously in Ohio for the last five years must also complete an FBI record check. Electronic fingerprinting is available in room 221 White Hall for BCII record checks. Please note: electronic fingerprinting is not an option for the FBI record check. FBI cards can be obtained in 304 White Hall.

Recommendation for licensure by the College of Education, Health, and Human Services and clearance of record checks by BCII and FBI (if appropriate) will result in the issuance of the appropriate provisional license. All students should apply for licensure during the last five weeks of the semester in which they expect to complete all requirements.

Applications will not be processed until a student has successfully completed Praxis II Examinations and all coursework requirements. Once all requirements are completed the application will be processed by the State Department of Education in Columbus. Licenses will be issued by the state once the application is processed (approximately four to six weeks) and the background check by BCII and FBI (if appropriate) is received.

If documentation is requested by a school system prior to issuance of the license, a letter of completion will be issued by the Vacca Office of Student Services, Room 304, White Hall.

This letter is a special service we offer to our students and will be available one week after the final date for which grades are to be posted on FlashFAST.

In order to be eligible to receive a letter of completion you must meet ALL of the following criteria:

Completed all required coursework for licensure

Licensure application on file

Passing Praxis II score(s)

Licensure Areas
The following areas are eligible for Ohio Department of Education teacher licensure through coursework offered by the College of Education, Health and Human Services:

Early Childhood*

Early Childhood Intervention Specialist*

Deaf Education*

Library/Media*

Middle Childhood Education* (MCED students can earn the generalist license. It typically only involves undergraduate coursework but a graduate student might also be eligible to add it onto the MCED license.)

Mild/Moderate Intervention Specialist*

Moderate/Intensive Intervention Specialist*

Initial licensure available at the graduate level. Requires no prior certification or licensure.

The Master of Arts in Teaching program is available for initial licensure in specific areas of adolescence to young adult education, early childhood education, multi-age areas and career-technical teacher education. Major subject area coursework must be completed prior to entry into the program.

The following areas are eligible for Ohio Department of Education educational personnel licensure through coursework offered by the College of Education, Health, and Human Services:

As a top Ohio undergraduate and graduate school, Kent State's eight campuses offer the resources of a large university with the friendly atmosphere of a liberal arts college. Enroll today to start pursuing your future at one of the best colleges in Ohio. We’ve been educating graduates for over 100 years; join us today.